第９掘：怒りと憎しみと涙と謝罪と和解と…予定通り
Excavation 9: Anger, Hatred, Tears, Apologies, Reconciliation, and... As Planned
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Anger, Hatred, Tears, Apologies, Reconciliation, and... As Planned
Over the next three days, Yuki gathered information and chatted with Elju and Oriel, deepening their friendship.
That day, they were already engrossed in conversation, sharing tea in a very relaxed atmosphere.
“Yuki, I have a request.”
Yuki is me, by the way. I'm using an alias for a reason.
“What is it?”
“Would you release us from here? There are things we must do.”
“...So you still intend to go?”
“Yes, to prevent a tragedy like what happened to Mauve and his companions, as a princess and as a human living in this land, I must stop this conflict!”
In fact, during these three days, Elju and Oriel had revealed themselves as princesses of the Kingdom of Roschur and demanded punishment—the death penalty—for Mauve and his companions, who had treated them cruelly.
However, as they were currently under Yuki's protection and unable to act against Mauve and his companions, they had made their request to Yuki.
Yuki understood their position, but killing the men without hearing their side would be inconvenient for him. Honestly, those adventurers were more useful with their light footwork than keeping high-ranking individuals like the princesses confined.
So, Yuki made up an excuse, saying, “I want to hear their side of the story,” and asked them to wait. However, in response, the princesses restrained him, saying, “If a good-natured person like you talks to such beasts, you’ll be killed!” *You’re one to talk, Oriel, after trying to use violence yourself.* “Oriel is right! There’s nothing to hear from people who are so cowardly, oppressive, and demeaning!” Elju also spoke as if it were outrageous.
The princesses, who hated them, reacted exactly as Yuki expected. So, as planned, he spoke his next words: “Then, could you wait a little distance away? That way, if something happens, you can help me. It would be complicated if you listened in with me.” After Yuki offered this compromise, they pondered for a while before agreeing, “Understood.”
In reality, Mauve and his companions no longer exuded any vitality. It wasn't that they were physically weak; it was more like they had finished everything, feeling “burned out... completely.”
Yuki had heard from the princesses about the current conflict between the Kingdom of Roschur and the Kingdom of Gartz. He knew that Elju had become the pretext for the invasion, that villages and towns had been burned because of it, and that the Kingdom of Gartz's counterattack had led to a quagmire. Hearing this, he had a rough idea. In the end, it was highly probable that Mauve, or whatever his name was, was also a victim of this war.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to enslave a princess after capturing her.
Then, Yuki met Mauve and his companions and introduced himself. When Yuki announced himself as the Dungeon Master, they showed some surprise but quickly returned to their expressionless, lifeless faces and asked:
“Is that slave... the princess... alive?”
“Yes.”
“I see...”
“Hey, why did you enslave the princess? If you had taken her to the Kingdom of Gartz, you would have gained money and fame.”
After a moment of silence, Mauve spoke.
“...She was the enemy of my wife and daughter, my acquaintances, my village, my town...”
Large tears spilled from Mauve as he squeezed out those words.
The princess and Oriel, who were listening, also showed expressions of shock.
“I lost treasures more important than money or fame...”
“I see...”
“Driven by anger, I became a mercenary and helped burn down towns in the Kingdom of Roschur.”
“Ah...”
“I also raped and killed women, just as my wife and daughter were treated.”
“...”
“And after capturing the princess, I tried to kill her in the cruelest ways I knew, but...”
“I interfered?”
“No, thanks to you, I was able to cool my head. In the end, nothing comes back... It’s all so empty. I knew my wife and daughter wouldn’t be happy even if I did this. Rather, they’d get angry. They’d say, ‘Why did you do such a thing, Father?!’”
Seeing Mauve laugh weakly, Raiya and Curse also looked troubled.
“Hey, the fact that you came here means it’s from the princess, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I won’t resist. Just get it over with. I don’t want to give my wife and daughter any more reasons to be angry.”
With that, the three men bowed their heads to Yuki.
“Well, don’t be in such a hurry. Elju, did you hear that?”
“...Yes.”
Elju, her eyes red, emerged, supported by Oriel.
“What, the executioner is the princess? You’re quite spirited, aren’t you?”
Mauve, perhaps having regained a little energy, offered a faint smile.
But Elju didn’t demand a weapon; instead, she and Oriel knelt on the spot and pressed their foreheads to the ground.
“I... I am so... sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”
She repeated “I’m sorry” amidst sobs and tears.
“Huh? No, wait a minute?! What in the world is going on?! Hey, do you know something?!”
Perhaps truly surprised by Elju’s actions, Mauve and his companions looked at Yuki in a panic.
Then Yuki told Mauve and his companions the story he had heard from Elju, adding, “Though I don’t know if what they’re saying is true.”
After hearing the story, Mauve looked at the princess, who still had her forehead pressed to the ground in front of him, then slumped his shoulders along with Raiya and Curse, who were behind him.
“So, she really was a Saintess, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Indeed.”
“Hey, Princess, please raise your head. I’m not someone the princess should bow to. I’m just a beast who misunderstood and ran wild.”
“But... if it weren’t for me, your towns and villages...”
“From what I heard, it sounds like they were targeting it from the start. Whether the princess was involved or not, something similar would have happened. Besides, we also... *did things* to your towns.”
“Ah, Princess. We believe your words. And our sins are probably deeper.”
“...We just ran wild, driven by anger.”
Here, Elju and her companions, and Mauve and his companions, reconciled?
And she made a decision: to stop this conflict.
“I will never speak of this dungeon outside. As a princess, I will protect this dungeon to repay the kindness I have received.”
She gazed at Yuki with earnest eyes.
*No, please spread the word (advertise)! I need to operate this dungeon, after all.*
“You can even add a restriction to the Designated Protection skill that I will not speak of the dungeon outside!”
“Uh, I trust Elju, so I won’t go out of my way to do that.”
“Then we may leave here and return to our country!”
“Calm down. There’s one condition. If you agree to it, I’ll lift the movement restriction. I’ll leave the defensive functions of Designated Protection active, but remember, it only works inside the dungeon. Don’t rely on it outside.”
“Yes, thank you. And what is the condition?”
“I want you to take Mauve and his companions with you. They can serve as guards, and from my side, there are things I want to buy in town.”
“Understood. I would feel much more secure. Wouldn’t I, Oriel?”
“Yes, they are quite skilled. They would be excellent as guards.”
Yuki explained his circumstances to Mauve and his companions (with some falsehoods mixed in), suggesting that if they were going to be scolded by their families even after death, why not create a humorous story before then? All three laughed and readily agreed, accepting Designated Protection without hesitation.
Well, I hope things will proceed smoothly now...
It's probably impossible—!!
After seeing off the five who departed in a hurry, Yuki busied himself with strengthening the dungeon using his accumulated DP.